Metal fabric.



N. E. CLARK.-

METAI'. FABRIC.

APPLICATION r1120 APR. 1. 1.9.12.

1,134,513. Pafiented Apr.6, 1915..

INVEHTOR Mrrz's Elmore war)?! NORRIS ELMORE CLARK, OF PLAINVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

METAL FABRIC.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 19115.

Continuation of application Serial No. 480,976, filed March 2, 1909. This application filed April 1, 1912.

Serial No.

i '0 all '10 7mm it may concern Be it known that I, Nonnis ELMORE CLARK, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Plainville, in the county of Hartford and tate of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Fabrics. of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to what are commonly termed expanded metal fab rics and this application is a continuation of in application #480,976 filed March 2nd. 1909.

The special object is to provide more rigidity and holding power for such structuros as concrete floors and roofs and plaster side walls and partitions.

it comprises the combination of parallel rods or beam-like members and lathing integral therewithl in this particular form claimed in this application the beam-like members are formed by grooving 0r longitudinally corrugating strips of metal into the form of ribs projecting from the general plane of the expanded portion. These ribs or beam-like members are provided with extra thick portions preferably in the form of bars extending longitudinally along the ribs in that portion most remote from the general plane of the expanded sections so that the beam-like portions are given additional reinforcement and the product thus produces in effect heavy rods or bars with expanded lath portions suspended from the bars or rods. in the form shown the fabric is made from sheet metal of a non-uniform section having parallel bars at intervals extending longitudinally; The sides of the beams or ribs may be perforated or otherwise recessed to permit the plaster, cement or water from one side to pass through and to interlock with that on the other. The portions punched out of some of them may be left integral at one edge ofthe perforations and bent over so as to. form projecting fingers for attachment purposes if desired. In the form shown the expanded lath sections consist of zig-zag bent strands connected to each other and arranged on edge with diamond-shaped meshes between, the general direction of the strands of the sections being inclined relative to the beams. Preferably in the form shown the expanded portions lying between two beams consist of two sections united by a strip or rib midway between the beams, the inclination of the strands of the adjacent sections being in opposite directions.

Figure 1, is an elevation of a fragment of a fabric embodying the improvements of my invention. Fig. 2, is an edge view of the same. Fig. 3, is a horizontal sectional view ofthestructure. Fig. i, is a fragmentary section of a beam or rib showing attaching fingers struck from the sides of the beam and bent outwardly. Fig. 5, is a fragmentary section of another modification of the beam member showing the bar portions at the base of the rib. Fig. 6, is a fragmentary section showing a beam with recesses formed by indenting.

In the preferred form of Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the beam members 1 and 2 have the bar portions 4 and 5 arranged at the apex and projecting from the sides of the metal forming the ribs. The sides of the beams may be provided with openings such as 6, 6 by punching so that the mortar or plaster or cement can pass through the sides and thus more securely anchor the beams in the structure and prevent the formation oflines of cleavage. Each expanded section consists of narrow strands of metal such as 7 and 8 uni-ted to each other at a plurality of points such as 9 and 10 and arranged on edge relative to the plane of the fabric and extending generally in a direction inclined relative to thedirection of the beams. The general direction of inclination of the strands in section 11 is opposite to the general direction of inclination of the strands in section 12, the two sections being united along the strip or rib l3 midway between the two beams 1 and E2, the strands in section 11 being inclined upward and to the left from strip 13 and the strands in section 12 being inclined upward and to the right from strlp 13. The strands it will be noted stand in a general edgewise direction relative to the plane of the fabric but are not' exactly at right angles to the plane. The strands n section 11 being tilted particularlyat their bonds or points of connection with each other upward toward the right as viewed in Fig. 3 while the bonds such as 9 in section 12 are tilted upward toward the left This insures a better distribution of the mortar, plaster or cement in applying it particularly for side walls. This form of expanded rear edges of the beam members are continuous Where the bending strains are greatest and that the perforations in the sides of the beams when used will so permit theinterconnection of the cement as to more fully develop the strength of the metal in the cement or concrete or plaster.

In the form shown in Fig. 4 tangs or fingers 15 are cut from the sides of the beams and bent outwardly for the purpose of attaching other devices such as sheets of ordinary lath. The formation of these fingers leaves openings 16 in thesides having the advantages previously set forth.

In the form shown in Fig. 5 the bars 17 are formed at the base of the rib instead of at the apexas in the form previously described. A greater number of bars may thus be provided and Will stiffen the sheet in a somewhat different way from the bars such as shown in Figs. 1 to 4.

In the form shown in Fig. 6 recesses 18 are formed in the sides of the beams by indenting the metal at 19. While this does not permit the cement or mortar to pass through the beam and obtain the advantages previously described in reference to perforations, the indentations do not remove any metal but do afford recesses into which the plaster or cement flows so as to prevent the formation of lines of cleavage.

It Will be obvious that the fabric may be of any width or length and have as many beams and'reticulated sections as desired.

What I claim is 1. An expanded metal fabric having parallel strips grooved longitudinally and forming beams, said beams having reinforcing bar portions at their apices of greater thickness than the-sides of the beams and an expanded mesh-Work connecting the sides of adjacent beams. I

2. An expanded metal structure formed from a plate of a non-uniform section having bar portions, the sheet portions between the bars having expanded sections and the bar portions being bent out of the flat planeof the sheet to form deep ribs along which the bars extend longitudinally to constitute reinforcements, substantially as described.

3. An expanded metal structure formed rugated portions, the latter having solid longitudinally extending ribs, portions of which project at each side of the metal forming the corrugations substantially as described.

,5. A reinforcing fabric comprising the combination of a reticulated section of substantially uniform thickness and having comparatively small openings together with longitudinally corrugated beams integral with the reticulated section and "projecting from the plane of the reticulated section, the sides of said beams adjacent their bases being spaced apart so as to form open grooves,

the apices of said beams being narrower.

than their bases and provided with additioned reinforcing metal extending longitudinally along the apices of the beams at some distance from the plane of the reticulated section.

NORRIS ELMORE CLARK. Witnesses:

D. G. CLARK,

MARSHALL P. RYDER. 

